A series of unfortunate events eventually pushed James over the edge. Even normal people snap when forced over the edge, not to mention a mentally and physically exhausted one. Join James as he went on a rampage, finally doing what he always wanted, afterall, you only live once.
James was less than a kilometer away from home when his battery powered bike went flat. After doing deliveries for 10 hour straight, he was both mentally and physically exhausted. The pedaling got a lot harder and it didn’t helped that he was going up a slope.
James: fuck la…chao chee bye!
He cursed as he stopped the bike abruptly by the side of the road and the pair of road bikes racing towards him swerved sharply. The Caucasian men turned around and gave James the middle finger.
‘get the fuck off the road!’
James : FUCK YOU! Come la! come! CCB!
James walked aggressively towards the fast disappearing cyclist but he accidentally knocked his own bike over.
James: fuck!
The bike crashed onto the right and his mobile phone holder came loose, slamming his one week old mobile phone onto the rough floor. Multiple cracks were visible along with a green line in the middle of his $2000 phone.
James: ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! fuck..fuck..fuck!
He cursed and noticed the people at the bus stop staring at him.
James: See what see? never see before is it!
He lift his ride up and began pushing it home on the shared pedestrian path.
‘beep beep beeeeeeep’
The shrieking horn was accompanied by the hokkien soundtrack blasting away on a bluetooth radio. A man in his late fifties, cigarette in his mouth, snapped angrily at James in his personal mobility device.
‘Hello young man! give way!’
James: what?
‘i old people you know…i pioneer generation you know.’
James: Why don’t you fuck off and die?’
‘what did you say! i report police ah, i complain my MP, i sure shoot you die ah…’
James flipped the finger at the man and continued pushing his bike. Perspiration was dripping down his forehead, his shirt clinging to his back as the sun beat down mercilessly. His mind was a whirlwind of frustration, each step fueling the fire that had been smoldering inside him for weeks. The world seemed to be conspiring against him, every little inconvenience piling up until it felt like he was drowning in a sea of petty annoyances.
As he trudged along, a group of teenagers on electric scooters zipped past him, laughing and shouting at each other. One of them swerved too close, nearly clipping his bike. James’s jaw tightened, his hands gripping the handlebars so hard his knuckles turned white.
‘UNCLE! no battery don’t block the road la!’
James: FUCK YOU!
James spat after the group of young punks and one of the girl, riding pillion behind her boyfriend turned and stuck out her tongue at James.
He could see his flat in the distance.
The sight of the familiar building did little to calm him. If anything, it only reminded him of the mountain of problems waiting for him inside—the unpaid bills, the broken air conditioner, the neighbor who always played loud music late at night.
James shoved the bike into the elevator, ignoring the disapproving looks from an elderly woman who stepped in after him. He stared straight ahead, his reflection in the mirrored walls looking back at him with hollow eyes. The elevator dinged as it reached his floor, and he dragged the bike out, kicking open the door to his apartment.
The place was a mess—clothes strewn across the floor, dishes piled in the sink, and a faint smell of something rotting in the trash can.
His father came out of the bedroom.
Father : lend me $50
James: Don’t have
Father : Where got son so stingy one
James: fuck off la.
Father : raise you for nothing ah, i might as well raise a char siew!
James’ father left the house in a huff, slamming the gate behind him.
James went to the bathroom and almost vomitted.
His dad had choke up the toilet bowl and did not even bother to clear it.
James : AHHHHHHHHHH!
He punched the wall and kicked the aluminium door, cursing and swearing in a myriad of different languages.
He doused his face with water and decides to go grab his dinner.
When the lift door opened, James was surprised to see a young couple in there. They were well dressed university students. There is only one reason why they came to the rental block he was staying in, to make out. At the top of the stair core, there’s a blind spot facing the expressway with absolute privacy.
He knew because he had brought his girlfriend up there before a long time ago.
The couple avoided eye contact and just stared straight.
His frustration momentarily forgotten as his gaze lingered on the girl. Her cropped top clung to her frame, revealing a sliver of her midriff, and her flared skirt swayed slightly as she shifted her weight. She whispered something to her boyfriend, her hair falling in soft waves over her shoulders. James felt a familiar heat rise in his chest, but it wasn’t anger this time. It was something darker, more primal.
The girl short him a sideway glance, forcing James to look at his own reflection.
His faded delivery top clung to his chest, the fabric stretched and misshapen from years of wear, the logo on the front barely legible. The sweat from his long day had soaked through, leaving dark patches under his arms and down his back. His hair, greasy and unkempt, stuck to his forehead in clumps.
The ride down felt like an eternity. James’s mind raced, thoughts colliding in a chaotic storm. He could feel the tension in his body, the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.
The lift door opened and the couple walked out, the girl sniggered with a condescending glance at James.
The girl’s laughter echoed in his ears, grating against his nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
James’ eyes went to the perky, firm butt of the girl laughing at him and he could feel his heart racing.
The sudden growl of his stomach snapped him back to reality as he made his way to the coffee shop across the street.
He queued for the chicken rice and placed his order. Fishing out the exact change, James handed over the $3.50 for his dinner but he was stopped by the auntie.
Auntie : Hello. $4.50
James: huh? what you mean 4.50. The board says 3.50
Auntie : 3.50 is small one…if never say, means it 4.50, big one
James: what kind of logic is this?
Auntie : you want 3.50, you must say!
James : I go macdonald, i never ask for upsize, they also never upsize for me!
Auntie : Hellow, you don’t come here raise voice i tell you! You no money next time say earlier.
James : This is not about that! you put 3.50 and 4.50, how can you just give people big one if they never ask for it!
Auntie : You want to buy or not? don’t want you move away, behind a lot of people!
James : WHAT I NO MONEY!
AUntie : i going to call police!
James : call your chee bye!
James flipped the tray of chilli sauce all over the stall and the owner came out with her chopper, threatening to cut him as he ran away.
James ran into the open air carpark, his stomach growling, his anger fuming. He looked up into the sky and shouted.
James: ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
He shouted until his voice went hoarse before he calmed down.
Despite several passer-bys in the vicinity, no one paid him any heed. Incidents like these are common in the neighbourhood he is staying in.
James walked around aimlessly until he saw the same group of teenagers that taunted him earlier that day. He immediately recognised the girl who stuck her tongue out at him.
Kelly, oblivious to James’ stare placed her phone on the floor as she took a few steps back. Following the beat of the music, she started dancing to the latest tik tok trend, gyrating her hips and framing her boobs with her palms while smiling at the camera.
James’ eyes locked onto Kelly, his earlier rage simmering beneath the surface. She was lost in her own world, her movements fluid and carefree, her laughter ringing out as she twirled and posed for the camera. Her singlet hung loosely off one shoulder, revealing the strap of a neon pink sports bra underneath. The shorts she wore were impossibly short, riding up with every twist of her hips, clinging to her like they were a size too small.
Suddenly, one of the teenager spotted James.
‘HEY! KUAR SIMI!’ ( what are you staring at )
James’s vision narrowed, the world around him blurring into a haze of red. The boy’s voice, sharp and mocking, cut through the air like a knife, but James barely registered it. His eyes were fixed on Kelly, her carefree movements, her laughter—it all felt like a personal affront, a slap in the face after the day he’d had. The weight of every frustration, every insult, every moment of humiliation pressed down on him like a collapsing building.
James didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His body moved on its own, driven by something primal, something that had been building inside him for far too long. Like an overloaded freight train derailing from the tracks, James has finally reached his tipping point.
11500 words